Panera Bread Culture | Comparably
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EMPLOYEE
PARTICIPANTS
2387
TOTAL
RATINGS
20544

Panera Bread Company Culture

Panera Bread Culture

This score is derived from employee ratings & reviews
2.5/5
Panera Bread's Overall Culture is rated D-

Top Rated Culture Dimensions

Panera Bread CEO

Bottom 5%Bottom 5% of Similar Size Companies on Comparably
Niren Chaudhary Panera Bread's CEO
Niren Chaudhary
51 /100

Diversity at Panera Bread

Bottom 20%Bottom 20% of Similar Size Companies on Comparably
D

Diverse employees at Panera Bread have rated Environment, Professional Development, and Work Culture as the highest categories they have scored

Women at Panera Bread

Bottom 20%Bottom 20% of Similar Size Companies on Comparably
D

Women at Panera Bread have rated Environment, Professional Development, and Team as the highest categories they have scored

Panera Bread eNPS

Net Promoter Score tracks your employees' overall score to this question: "On a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to recommend working at your company to a friend?"
Bottom 10%Bottom 10% of Similar Size Companies on Comparably

Recommend to a Friend?

-55

Panera Bread employees are -55% more likely to recommend Panera Bread as a great place to work

15%Promoters
15%Passives
70%Detractors

Working at Panera Bread

Working at Panera Bread is rated below average by 2387 employees, across various culture dimensions. Panera Bread employees rate Environment highest among all categories, and think that Meetings and Outlook have the most room for improvement, putting Panera Bread’s culture in the Bottom 10% compared to similar sized companies on Comparably and in the Bottom 10% compared to other companies in Saint Louis, MO. See below in detail how working at Panera Bread was rated by employees.

Overall Company Culture at Panera Bread

D-

Overall Company Culture at Panera Bread is rated D-

Last updated 8 days ago

Bottom
10%

Panera Bread ranks in the Bottom 10% of other companies on Comparably with 10,000+ Employees for Overall Company Culture Score

Overall Company Culture Score by Department

This graph details how each department scores their Overall Company Culture

Results from 2387 Employees

View Results
0
20
40
60
80
100
Business Dev
66
Business Dev66
Sales
63
Sales63
Admin
60
Admin60
Operations
60
Operations60
Product
60
Product60
Finance
55
Finance55
Communications
53
Communications53
Customer Support
53
Customer Support53
Customer Success
47
Customer Success47
Engineering
40
Engineering40
HR
36
HR36

Panera Bread Employee Reviews

Out of 2214 Panera Bread employee reviews, 60% were positive. The remaining 40% were constructive reviews with the goal of helping Panera Bread improve their work culture.

60%
40%
Positive Reviews60%
Constructive Feedback40%

Positive Reviews From Panera Bread Employees

  • What did you like most about the interview process?
    The quickness and accuracy .
  • What makes you most happy at work?
    Nothing im working in a hostile environment
  • What is the best part about your compensation package?
    I love the pay and the retirement plan.

Constructive Feedback From Panera Bread Employees

  • What needs to change to make the company culture better?
    A shift in staff culture and people.
  • What would you improve about your company's interview process?
    New managers to give the interview, privacy during the interview, and new interview questions. Most of the questions I was asked were ridiculous to ask. No one knows where they will see themselves in 5 years.
  • What would you improve about your company's interview process?
    Doing backgrounds checks, because sometimes the people theyll hire will make people uncomfortabel

Panera Bread Company Information

Panera Bread Company Overview

When we can’t share our bread, our favorite pins are the next best thing.

Panera Bread Mission, Vision & Values

Panera Bread Mission Statement

A loaf of bread in every arm

Panera Bread Values

At Panera, LLC, our culture of warmth provides an environment that embraces diverse backgrounds, values, beliefs and experiences. We encourage our associates to be their best authentic selves each day. We believe the diversity of our associates strengthens our innovative spirit and brings our cultural values to life.

HeadquarterSaint Louis, MO
United States of America
Websitepanerabread.com
Founding Date1981
Tel314-984-1000
Company StatusPublic
StockPNRA

Panera Bread Competitors

Panera Bread competitors include Dine Brands Global, Chipotle, Starbucks, and McDonald's. Panera Bread ranks 5th in Overall Culture Score on Comparably vs its competitors. See below how Panera Bread compares to its competitors with CEO Rankings, Product & Services, NPS, Pricing, Customer Services, Overall Culture Score, eNPS, Gender and Diversity Scores.

  1. #1
    Dine Brands Global's Logo
    Dine Brands Global
    4.3/5
  2. #2
    Chipotle's Logo
    Chipotle
    4.1/5
  3. #3
    Starbucks' Logo
    Starbucks
    4.2/5
  4. #4
    McDonald's' Logo
    McDonald's
    3.0/5
  5. #5
    Panera Bread's Logo
    Panera Bread
    2.5/5
  • Culture Video

Panera Bread Employees

2387 employees at Panera Bread have reviewed Panera Bread across various culture dimensions, providing their opinions on items ranging from executive ratings to the pace at work. The latest review was 8 days ago.

Overall, the 2387 Panera Bread employees give their leadership a grade of D-, or Bottom 10% of similar size companies on Comparably. This includes specific ratings of their executive team, CEO, and manager.

Employees at Panera Bread are mostly dissatisfied with their total compensation at Panera Bread, which includes a combination of pay, stock and equity, and benefits.

Overall, employees at Panera Bread are not very pleased with their team. 2387 Participants grade the quality of their coworkers a D-. Less than half believe the meetings at Panera Bread are effective, and the majority look forward to interacting with their coworkers.

The majority of employees at Panera Bread believe the environment at Panera Bread is negative. Most Participants believe the pace of work at Panera Bread is comfortably fast. About 77% of the employees at Panera Bread work 8 hours or less, while 7% of them have an extremely long day - longer than twelve hours.

Overall, the employees at Panera Bread are dissatisfied, based on their aggregated ratings of future outlook, customer perception, and their excitement going to work.

A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life
Panera Bread employees generally work 8.3 hrs a day
Work Hours
A Day in the Life
Employees at Panera Bread report the work pace is comfortably fast
Work Pace
A Day in the Life
67% of Panera Bread employees look forward to interacting with their team every day
Coworkers
A Day in the Life
Panera Bread employees most often take 0-10 paid vacation and sick days each year
Perks & Benefits
A Day in the Life
46% of Panera Bread employees report they are happy with their work life balance
Work Life Balance
A Day in the Life
Panera Bread employees never get valuable feedback on how to improve at work
Feedback
A Day in the Life
56% of Panera Bread employees call their work environment negative
Environment

Joining Panera Bread - Employee Onboarding

The prevailing opinion from employees about joining Panera Bread is that the company was unprepared on their first day. Panera Bread employees concluded that their overall onboarding experience was positive. 50% said their direct manager was helpful with their acclimation during the first 90 days. First impressions are important, and how prepared a company is on your first day leaves a lasting impression.

Panera Bread KPIs and OKRs

At Panera Bread 57% of employees think their department KPIs and OKRs are clear. Employees’ understanding of Panera Bread's KPIs and OKRs is essential for its success. Out of 19 Panera Bread employees who’ve answered, “Are your company’s goals clear and are you invested in them?” 10 have said yes.

AnswerPercent
Yes53%
No47%
Are your company's goals clear, and are you invested in them?
AnswerPercent
Yes57%
No43%
Are the KPIs/OKRs for your department clear?

Panera Bread CEO & Leadership

Panera Bread CEO - Niren Chaudhary

Niren Chaudhary Panera Bread's CEO
51 /100

Panera Bread’s CEO Niren Chaudhary started in this role in 2019. Niren’s approval rate is lower compared to CEOs at similar sized companies, putting Niren in the Bottom 5% of all CEOs of similar-sized companies on Comparably, and in the Bottom 10% compared to CEOs of all other companies in Saint Louis, MO. Niren Chaudhary’s employees rank Panera Bread in the Top 50% for Environment, in the Bottom 30% for Professional Development, and in the Bottom 25% for Office Culture. Chaudhary is generally unpopular with Panera Bread employees, but ranks especially low with employees in the HR department, and by employees in the Engineering department and employees in the Customer Success department. However, employees in the Business Development department have a slightly more favorable view of the CEO.

Panera Bread Leadership

The Panera Bread Executive Team is rated a “D” and led by CEO Niren Chaudhary, Vice President Real Estate Rick Marie, and Senior Director, Corporate Counsel Kathleen Stevens

  • Niren Chaudhary  CEO / President

    Niren Chaudhary CEO / President

    Niren Chaudhary serves as the CEO / President of Panera Bread.

  • Rick Marie Vice President Real Estate

    Rick Marie serves as the Vice President Real Estate of Panera Bread.

  • Kathleen Stevens Senior Director, Corporate Counsel

    Kathleen Stevens serves as the Senior Director, Corporate Counsel of Panera Bread.

  • Vivian Toro Director, Area Operating Partner

    Vivian Toro serves as the Director, Area Operating Partner of Panera Bread.

  • Gordon Albright Vice President of Manufacturing Services

    Gordon Albright serves as the Vice President of Manufacturing Services of Panera Bread.

  • Raj Anbalagan Senior Vice President - Digital & Technology Innovation

    Raj Anbalagan serves as the Senior Vice President - Digital & Technology Innovation of Panera Bread.

  • Richard Armstrong Vice President, Franchise Sales & Administration

    Richard Armstrong serves as the Vice President, Franchise Sales & Administration of Panera Bread.

  • Matt Atkinson Regional Vice President

    Matt Atkinson serves as the Regional Vice President of Panera Bread.

  • Brian Backer Vice President Enterprise Architecture

    Brian Backer serves as the Vice President Enterprise Architecture of Panera Bread.

Panera Bread Salaries

How much does Panera Bread pay?

How much do people at Panera Bread get paid? See the latest salaries by department and job title. The average estimated annual salary, including base and bonus, at Panera Bread is $138,993, or $66 per hour, while the estimated median salary is $143,455, or $68 per hour.

At Panera Bread, the highest paid job is a Director of Sales at $232,484 annually and the lowest is a Sales Associate at $35,000 annually. Average Panera Bread salaries by department include: HR at $125,439, Design at $123,492, Customer Support at $68,883, and Business Development at $156,730. Half of Panera Bread salaries are above $143,455.

1082 employees at Panera Bread rank their Compensation in the Bottom 10% of similar sized companies in the US (based on 3225 ratings) while 1045 employees at Panera Bread rank their Perks And Benefits in the Bottom 10% of similar sized companies in the US (based on 1055 ratings).

Salaries contributed from Panera Bread employees include job titles like Lead Engineer, Senior Developer, Product Manager, and Senior Marketing Manager. Comparably data has a total of 6 salary records from Panera Bread employees.

Last updated 12 days ago.

1st Percentile
$71k
$71k1st Percentile
17th Percentile
$106k
$106k17th Percentile
33rd Percentile
$143k
$143k33rd Percentile
50th Percentile
$196k
$196k50th Percentile
67th Percentile
$246k
$246k67th Percentile
83rd Percentile
$276k
$276k83rd Percentile
100th Percentile
$308k
$308k100th Percentile
$138,993*
Average Compensation
$143,455*
Median Compensation

* Estimated salaries Estimated salaries are based on data provided anonymously by employees and/or estimated by other statistical methods.

Panera Bread Salaries by City

Panera Bread Salaries by Department

Explore Panera Bread Salaries

Diversity & Inclusion at Panera Bread

Diverse employees at Panera Bread score the company 56/100 across various culture categories, placing Panera Bread in the Bottom 20% of companies on Comparably with 10,000+ Employees for Comparably's diversity score. The Diversity score provides insights into how diverse employees feel and rate their work experience at Panera Bread across various culture dimensions.

Ranked Culture the Highest

Women 63/100
Department - Sales
Men 76/100
Department - Admin
Diverse Employees 61/100
Department - Sales

Ranked Culture the Lowest

Women 34/100
Department - HR
Men 45/100
Tenure - Less Than 1 Year
Diverse Employees 30/100
Tenure - 1 to 2 Years

Panera Bread Perks & Benefits

Health & Wellness

  • Dental Insurance

Paid Time Off

  • PTO / Vacation Policy

Panera Bread PTO

Panera Bread's PTO and Vacation policy typically gives 0-10 days off a year with 67% of employees expected to be work free while out of office. Panera Bread's benefits and PTO Package averages to represent a less than $500 cash value per month.

AnswerPercent
Flex Time40%
Vacation Policy0%
Office Meals20%
401k Contribution40%
Childcare0%
Other than healthcare, which of the following benefits is most important to you?
AnswerPercent
Yes33%
No67%
Does your boss expect you to work when you're on vacation?
AnswerPercent
$2500+/mo8%
$1500 - $2500/mo0%
$1000 -$1500/mo25%
$500 -$1000/mo25%
Less than $500/mo42%
What do you estimate the cash value of your benefits to be? Healthcare, PTO, etc?

Panera Bread Careers

Panera Bread Jobs

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H1B Visa

In 2019, Panera Bread applied for 2 H1B visas. Of the work permits applied for, 100% were approved.

Work Permit Application Outcome

2
Total Applied
  • 100% Granted (2 out of 2)
  • 0% Denied ( out of 2)
  • 0% Withdrawn Application was withdrawn by the employer before approval/rejection ( out of 2)
  • 0% Certified-Withdrawn Application was approved but later withdrawn by employer ( out of 2)

This data was calculated using publicly sourced data from OFLC Performance Data

Let Panera Bread Know You Want To Work There

Overview of Candidates Interested in Panera Bread on Comparably

Candidates By Department

All Industries
46%
Product
15%
Customer Support
15%
HR
8%
Design
8%
Other
8%

Candidates By Location

Saint Louis
46%
Salem
8%
Boston
8%
Atlanta
8%
Duluth
8%
Other
23%

Panera Bread Internship Program

Acquiring a position in Panera Bread's Internship Program is generally does not offer internships. Why intern at Panera Bread? Employees are not so happy at Panera Bread and rate their office perks as neutral. It’s summer, interning should not be only a learning experience, but also an enjoyable one. Panera Bread employees say they’re never bored at work. Additionally, 38% have developed close friendships with their co-workers.

How difficult is it to get an internship at Panera Bread?

Sales
Very Difficult0%
Somewhat Difficult33%
Not Difficult34%
Difficult0%
Does Not Offer Internships33%
Answered by 3 Sales Interns

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Panera Bread

Who is the CEO of Panera Bread?

Panera Bread CEO is Niren Chaudhary, their score by employees is 51

What is Panera Bread eNPS?

The eNPS for Panera Bread is -55

What is the salary for Business Development Manager in Panera Bread?

Business Development Manager average salary in the US is 153k

What are the salaries in the Admin in Panera Bread?

The average salaries for Admin in Panera Bread is 71k

Who are Panera Bread competitors?

Panera Bread main competitors are Dine Brands Global, Chipotle, Starbucks, McDonald's

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